Better than any restaurant, these KETO CRAB CAKES are easily made at home with plenty of lump crab and only a small amount of filler.
Keto crab cakes are easier than you think! Loaded with lump crab and seasoned perfectly, these crab cakes rival any restaurant version you may have tried.
If you liked our keto salmon patties, you’ll love these!
We serve these with fresh lemon wedges and homemade tartar sauce.
What type of crab to use for crab cakes?
There are many different types of crab, but when it comes to crab cakes, we prefer lump crab meat.
Lump crab meat comes from the body of the crab, is off-white in color, and is sturdy enough to hold together when mixing with a fork.
The best, freshest crab you can afford is going to make a big difference in the outcome of these crab cakes.
While canned crab will work in the end, it won’t provide the best flavor.
We recommend buying canned or frozen lump crab meat out of the shell for the best taste, texture, and ease of use.
Ingredients:
Lump Crab Meat
Mayonnaise
Green Onion
Dijon Mustard
Egg – this helps bind it together
Old Bay Seasoning – Old Bay has a very distinct flavor that works perfect on seafood. Cajun seasoning would also work here.
Lemon Juice
Almond Flour – Traditional crab cakes call for bread or cracker crumbs. We’re using almond flour instead.
Butter and Oil – For frying our crab cakes
Baking Vs. Frying Crab Cakes:
We prefer crab cakes that are fried versus baked. That crispy, buttery exterior just makes us happy.
This recipe would likely work in the oven, though we haven’t tested it.
If we were to try, we’d bake at 450 for around 15 minutes or until the crab cakes are nicely golden all around.
The method in these air fryer crab cakes would likely work well for this recipe too!
Tips & Tricks:
Chill – Chill the mixture for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before cooking. This will help your crab cakes hold together better.
Scoop – Use a large cookie scoop to make perfectly portioned crab cakes. We use our cookie scoops for so many things, ranging from keto cookie dough to keto meatballs.
Spatula – Use a thin, flat spatula to get under the crab cakes and quickly flip them. If they fall apart, just press them back together with the spatula. They may not be pretty, but they’ll still be delicious.
Serving:
We served these crab cakes with our keto asparagus. A little lemon squeezed over both the crab cakes and the asparagus is absolutely delicious.
Other favorite sides include keto cheddar bay biscuits, cauliflower mac and cheese, and sautéed broccoli.
More seafood recipes:
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Keto Crab Cakes
Simple, homemade crab cakes made keto friendly! These pack in loads of lump crab meat, the perfect blend of seasonings, and just enough filler to hold it all together.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 pound lump crab meat
- Butter or oil, for frying
Instructions
- Add the mayonnaise, green onion, mustard, egg, Old Bay, lemon juice, and salt to a medium mixing bowl. Mix well to combine.
- Add the crab meat and almond flour and use a rubber spatula to fold the mixture together until just combined.
- Cover bowl and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the mixture to come together.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Add enough butter or oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.
- Use a large cookie scoop to drop the crab mixture onto the pan, leaving a couple of inches space between each. Gently press the mixture down to flatten slightly using a thin, flat spatula.
- Fry the patties for 3 minutes per side or until golden brown.
- Repeat with remaining mixture until all the crab cakes are fried.
Notes
Refrigerating the mixture helps the crab cakes hold together better when cooking. If the break apart during flipping, use your spatula to gently press them back together.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 11 crab cakes Serving Size: 3 crab cakesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 156Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 399mgCarbohydrates: 3gNet Carbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 10g
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Hello! The photo shows some bright green herb specks sprinkled for presentation? Can you tell me if that is parsley or what it is (as it makes them look pretty)? And, I’d like to share that King Arthur Baking Company’s Keto Wheat Flour Blend is a fine substitute for the almond flour – it takes a lil off the grittiness which almond flour has. Thank you, this is a lovely recipe, which has the added benefit of style!
Hi Karen! Yes, it’s just parsley sprinkled over the top. I haven’t tried their wheat blend…I try to avoid wheat on keto, but I know a lot of people really love that flour. 🙂
Fantastic…best crab cakes ever and I have had a lot of crab cakes!
Thanks, Patty!
I followed the recipe and it did not work out at all for me. The 1 cup of flour made sucked up all moisture and made them incredibly dry and non-edible. It was tough throwing away $40 worth of fresh dungeness crab meat. Super bummed, but need to figure out another binder vs. the cup of almond flour.
Oh no, I’m sorry these didn’t work for you. We haven’t had any issue with them being too dry. If you try again, maybe start at 1/2 cup and work your way up until it just holds together.
Also maybe shorten time you let crab cakes stand before cooking as sometimes when you let ingredients sit too long before using them they could soak up all the moisture.You do want some absorption cause it helps the crab cake to stick together as a patty.Maybe this will help.
These look fabulous! They are on my list for dinner the next week or so. I’m wondering what your opinion is for substituting ground pork rinds for the almond flour, or maybe better: half almond flour, half ground pork rinds. What would the effect be, in your opinion and experience.
Love your recipes. Thanks for all you do!
Hi Karen! I’ve used pork rinds at the same ratio as almond flour in meatloaf of with luck. I haven’t tested it in the crab cakes though. I think it would work, but you’ll be do a bit of experimenting. 🙂